When you read this, you can see why it won the Nobel Prize for Literature. If you have previously read Hemingway novels such as 'Death in the Afternoon' and been deterred by his seemingly masculinist subject matter, do not let the idea of fishing in this novel put you off. The tale is of an aged Cuban fisherman, down on his luck and empty-pocketed. It focuses around his catch of a huge marlin and the battle to land the fish. As I said though, Hemingway is not trying to portray violent and masculine values here and this is clear when you meet the character of the Old Man: '"I would like to take the great DiMaggio fishing," the ...  Read the complete review

I've gotten quite into reading classic books, recently. I've always been a person who loves reading but go through fairly long periods of reading hardly anything, before then reading five or six books in quick succession. Being in Germany and being able to do lots of English Literature classes has meant that I've had the excuse to get back into reading excessively again - something which I have enjoyed greatly. As well as reading several modern classic novels and Shakespearean plays on my classes' reading lists, I've also been occupying myself by reading a lot of other famous and highly acclaimed works for my own enjoyment. In the past month, amongst others, I have ...  Read the complete review

The Old Man and the Sea is a short story be Ernest Hemingway set over several days in the life of an aged and impoverished Cuban fisherman. This fisherman is the Old Man in the title and is only ever referred to in the story as the Old Man, in the same vein the Old Man's companion is simply known as the Boy. The Old Man is very down on his luck and hasn't caught a fish in 84 days. Because of this the Boy is not allowed by his parents to fish with the Old Man any longer and the Old Man relies without asking or being asked on the Boy to take care of him. The Boy dotes on him and it really is a very touching and simple story of friendship based around their love ...  Read the complete review

This is one of Hemingway's shortest books and also one of his best. His famously succinct, simple style is employed to great effect in this tale of man against prey as an allegory for the challenges of life. A Cuban fisherman past his prime goes out fishing on his own, after many days of no luck he catches what surely promises to be the catch of his life. What follows is gripping and moving in equal measure. The text is engaging on the level of how to catch a fish but this is a Nobel Prize for Literature winning novel. Once the fish is caught the real struggle begins. In a tale that will strike a chord with many people who have made it, only to lose it later due to ...  Read the complete review

The Old Man of the Sea is as much about being macho as anything else. What does a really strong man do? He goes see and fights the elements..he's a fisherman! This Hemmingway novel won its author the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954. It tells the tale of an old Cuban fisherman who never has much luck. The only thing he has in the world is the love of a young boy. His arch enemy is a huge marlin that pits its strength again him on a daily basis until, inevitably, the old man wins and kills it. You need to read this book a couple of times to get the feel of it as there is a lot more meaning to the story than is apparent at first! ...  Read the complete review